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Attorney General's Office
Maldives

The Problem

The main work of the Attorney General’s Office of the Maldives is to represent the State on filed cases on behalf of the State and against the State in Lower Courts and High Court of the Maldives, to provide legal advice regarding contracts and agreements made between the state and other parties, and other matters requested by the Government, to provide legal advice on Bills passed by the Parliament before they are approved by the President. Our priority is to ensure the safety of the public, to protect the most vulnerable in our society; our children, seniors, and the developmentally and physically disabled, and to institute a more responsible government. That is just a small part of the work undertaken by us. We believe that the work undertaken by us the last couple of years, in terms of efficiency and quality, is noticeable, and we received positive comments from the public in relation to it.

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
AGO website is one of the achievements we have had over the years. Its address is www.agoffice.gov.mv. It contains current consolidated versions of all Maldivian laws and regulations, made freely available in full-text, in HTML format and PDF. It provides a comprehensive central forum from which all acts and regulations of the Maldives can be accessed. There are acts and regulations covering consumer protection and Penal Code. Acts and regulations that have been translated into English are accessible to the public through the website. A selection of full-text reports concerning issues in Maldivian law can be also viewed. It also provides a page of links to websites of important Ministries in the Maldives.
The AGO initiated the Legal Awareness Programme to be conducted for a period of 5 years in Male’ and in inter-atoll schools. The objective of this programme is to alert the secondary school students on the increasing crime rate of nation with the intent of reducing the crime rate. It serves to inform the secondary level students on the nature of crimes, what constitutes a crime, prosecution and conviction if a crime has been committed and proved, and the negative consequences and impacts of such an act on both the person and his/her family. To the present day, this programme has been conducted in 25 inter-atoll islands and all secondary schools in Male’, and so far a total of more than 10,000 students have been given information on various legal issues.

The Maldivian Government, initiated by the AGO launched NCJAP to reform and strengthen the criminal justice system in the country.

On application for a job, a person will have to complete his/her criminal record form from the concerned Ministries. Currently this procedure takes about 15 days and the public has to go from Ministry to Ministry to complete their criminal record form. So as to assist the public to have a more comprehensive and speedy system to verify their criminal record, AGO, in collaboration with other concerned Ministries, is currently working on a project to establish links with the concerned Ministries so that on application for job, instead of bouncing back from Ministry to Ministry, the public can easily get their criminal record form completed in a matter of minutes in one stop.

Prosecution section has undergone many positive changes in the past year to address the interest of the public in its maximum. As a result the number of days taken to review and submit a case to Courts has decreased.
Legal Affairs Section of AGO provides legal opinions to various government ministries. In the past couple of years, the number of days taken to formulate legal opinions has effectively decreased and the amount of legal opinions formulated has increased from year to year.
The Law Commission of Maldives (LCM) was found in 1993 as part of the AGO. In 2002, LCM was established as a separate entity under AGO. The work of the LCM in the past years has increased vastly.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
The Attorney General’s Office website was launched in December 2004.

The Legal Awareness Programme was officially launched on 18th July 2005.

The National Criminal Justice Action Plan was launched in December 2004.

The work for the process to clear criminal records is currently ongoing, and even now the amount of days taken for it has decreased from a maximum 15 days to a total 3 days.

The Law Commission of the Maldives was established in 1993.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
The main work of the Attorney General’s Office of the Maldives is to represent the State on filed cases on behalf of the State and against the State in Lower Courts and High Court of the Maldives, to provide legal advice regarding contracts and agreements made between the state and other parties, and other matters requested by the Government, to provide legal advice on Bills passed by the Parliament before they are approved by the President. AGO's priority is to ensure the safety of the public, to protect the most vulnerable in our society; our children, seniors, and the developmentally and physically disabled, and to institute a more responsible government. That is just a small part of the work undertaken by them. Over the years, in their interest to serve the public better, they have established a number of services such as the introduction of their website, the introduction of an LCM that drafts legislations, and the initiation of a legal awareness programme specifically targeted to the youth of the society, and many other works that are both directly and indirectly of immense benefit to the public.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
As mentioned before, AGO's priority includes to ensure the safety of the public, to protect the most vulnerable in our society; our children, seniors and the developmentally and physically disabled, and to institute a more responsible and transparent government. AGO's purpose is to increase the amount and efficiency of the services already provided by them and to gain the public's trust in them, and to be recognized by all.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
below is a detail description of the achievements AGO have had thus far, due to the strategies they have employed over the years which include, ensuring public safety and interest, to gain their trust and that of the different government departments.
It contains current consolidated versions of all Maldivian laws and regulations, made freely available in full-text, both in HTML format and PDF. The website provides a systematic and a comprehensive central forum from which all acts and regulations of the Maldives can be accessed. There are acts and regulations covering environmental law, family law, consumer protection and the Penal Code. Whilst there are only a few laws and regulations that have been translated, the Attorney General’s office aims to translate all the laws and regulations into English in the near future, and work is already in progress for its accomplishment.
Full-text reports concerning issues in Maldivian law can be viewed on the website. Subjects covered include Custodial Services, Gender Issues in the Criminal Justice System and the Juvenile Justice System, Report on Election and Assessment of the Opportunities & the Challenges to the Development of Political Parties in the Maldives. The website also provides a page of links to websites of important Ministries and Agencies in the Maldives.

Legal Awareness Programme:
The Attorney General’s Office, in collaboration with Ministry of Education and funded by UNICEF, initiated the Legal Awareness Programme, which was officially launched on 18th July 2005, to be conducted for a period of five years in both Male’ and in inter-atoll schools. The main objective of this programme is to alert the secondary school students on the increasing crime rate of nation, with the intent of reducing the crime rate. The programme also serves to inform the secondary level students on the nature of a crime, what constitutes a crime, prosecution and conviction if a crime has been committed and proved, and the negative consequences and impacts of such an act on both the person and his/her family. The programme was also introduced to minimize the rising crime rate in the community and to reduce the criminal acts committed by students.
To the present day, this programme has been conducted in 25 inter-atoll islands and all secondary schools in Male’, and so far a total of more than 10,000 students have been given information on various legal issues.

The National Criminal Justice Action Plan:
The major provisions of the NCJAP which was undertaken by AGO include:

1.Drafting of the Maldivian Penal Code and Sentencing Guidelines;
2.Drafting of the Criminal Procedure Code;
3.Drafting of the Police Act;
4.Drafting of the Armed Forces Act;
5.Drafting of the Evidence Act;
6.Drafting of the Prisons and Parole Act;
7.Strengthening the Jail System;
8.implementation of a Juvenile Justice System in concordance with the international Convention on Rights of Child;


The Attorney General’s office is currently working to overhaul the entire criminal justice system of the country and its implementation is going rapidly. Our aim is to establish a modernized criminal justice system in the country for the benefit of all. A modernize criminal justice system demands justice for all, and we are on course to deliver it.

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
Due to the achievements mentioned above, AGO have already been viewed amongst the public as a government department that can provide effective services, and the relationship between the AGO and the public and other ministries have strengthened over the years.


Criminal Record:
On application for a job, a person will have to complete his/her criminal record form from the concerned Ministries. Currently, this procedure takes about fifteen days and the public has to go from Ministry to Ministry to complete their criminal record form. So as to assist the public to have a more comprehensive and speedy system to verify their criminal record, the Attorney General’s Office, in collaboration with other concerned Ministries, is currently working on a project to establish links with the concerned Ministries, so that on application for job, instead of bouncing back from Ministry to Ministry, the public will have the easy solution of getting their criminal record form completed in a matter of minutes in one stop. This will indeed be an immense help to people of inter-atoll islands, who on application for a job, will have to come to Male’ and go from Ministry to Ministry to complete their forms. It would reduce their transportation costs, and overall be of more convenience to the public. Previously, average time taken to complete a criminal record form from the Attorney General’s Office took about 3 days. However, this has now been shortened down to 15 minutes at the most


Prosecution:
The prosecution section of the Attorney General’s Office has been undergoing a lot of positive changes the past year to address the interest of the public in its maximum. In 2003, a total number of 2967 cases were submitted to this office, whilst in 2004 a total number of 2287 cases were submitted. This number increases to a total of 2560 in 2005, whilst the average number of days that were taken to submit a case to Court was 72 days in 2004, this number decreased by 60% in the year that came. In 2005, only 29 days were taken to submit a case to court. This was indeed a remarkable success since it ensured the public that the Attorney General’s Office was indeed working towards making our community a much safer place for the public, and building their confidence in the legal system.

Legal Affairs Section:
Compared to 2000, in 2001 there was a 36% increase in the number of legal opinions given, and 69% decreased in the time period taken to give an opinion. Compared to year 2002, in 2004 there were a 50% increase in the number of legal opinions given, and a 69% decrease in the time period taken to give an opinion. Compared to 2003, in 2004 there were 43% increase in the number of legal opinions given, and a 58% decrease in the time period taken to give an opinion. Further, a lot of legal opinions were given and a lot of research work was done informally in 2004. In 2005, the number of legal opinions given was 397 whilst the time period taken to give an opinion was an average 20 days.

The Law Commission’s Work:
1. Up until 2003, the work of the Law Commission was to draft legislation.
2. But since November 2003, the scope of work expanded to include:
- Studying of existing legislation for necessary amendments;
- Assist government department in drafting Bills and regulations.
- Translation of legislation and regulations.
- Drafting of new Bills.

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
In addition to the achievements accomplished by the AGO, they are currently working on other projects to increase their efficiency and delivery of services. Since they also represent the public in cases of compensation, it is of utmost importance to them to further increase their services in relation to prosecution. Moreover, legal awareness programmes are even now ongoing, and due to huge support for it, many more has been scheduled for 2007.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
...

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Attorney General's Office
Institution Type:   Government Department  
Contact Person:   Fathimath Filza
Title:   Assistant State Attorney  
Telephone/ Fax:   +960 332 3809
Institution's / Project's Website:  
E-mail:   filza@agoffice.gov.mv  
Address:   3rd Floor, Huravee Building
Postal Code:  
City:   Male'
State/Province:  
Country:   Maldives

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